The centre right on Friday urged
three-time former premier and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi to
formally declare that he is bidding for the Italian presidency
after Sergio Mattarella's term ends on February 3.
A summit between Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni,
League leader Matteo Salvini, and Berlusconi, said the
85-year-old billionaire businessman-turned-politician offered
the "authoritativeness and experience the country deserves".
Despite not officially throwing his hat into the ring for the
election that starts on January 24, Berlusconi has been
campaigning hard for the post.
The centre left say that with his legal woes and long hostility
to the left he is too divisive to represent national unity.
Italian Left (SI) leader Nicola Fratoianni on Friday urged MPs
who have allegedly received cash gifts from the former premier
recently to give them back.
Premier Mario Draghi is the bookies' favourite to succeed
Mattarella but many hope he will stay on as premier until the
natural end of the parliamentary term in 2023 to oversee reforms
needed to secure almost 200 billion euros in post COVID EU
recovery funds.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA